"all talk and no action" meaning in English

See all talk and no action in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} all talk and no action (uncountable)
  1. Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little; overpromising, but underdelivering. Tags: uncountable Related terms: talk out of one's ass, talk the talk Translations (idiom): meer bek as binnegoed (Afrikaans), molt soroll i poques nous (Catalan), 光說不做 (Chinese), 光说不做 (guāngshuōbùzuò) (Chinese), 只說不做 (Chinese), 只说不做 (zhǐshuōbùzuò) (Chinese), 光說不幹 (Chinese), 光说不干 (guāngshuōbùgān) (Chinese), 耍嘴皮子 (shuǎ zuǐpízi) (Chinese), 雷声大，雨点小 (léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo) (Chinese), 雷聲大，雨點小 (Chinese), 雷声大，雨点小 (léishēngdà, yǔdiǎnxiǎo) (Chinese), veel geschreeuw en weinig wol (Dutch), paljon puhetta ilman tekoja (Finnish), tutto fumo e niente arrosto (Italian), tanto fumo e poco arrosto (Italian), he kōrero i pahawa (Maori), hōhonu waha - pāpaku uaua (Maori), pozornie groźny (Polish), krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje [idiomatic] (Polish), mucho hablar y poco hacer (Spanish), mucho ruido y pocas nueces (Spanish), mucho lerele y poco larala (Spanish), Mycket snack och lite verkstad. (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-all_talk_and_no_action-en-noun-T9rafwHA Categories (other): Chinese terms with non-redundant manual transliterations, English coordinated pairs, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Synonyms: all bark and no bite, all talk and no cider, all talk, no show, all booster, no payload, all crown, no filling, all foam, no beer, all hammer, no nail, all hat and no cattle, all icing, no cake, all lime and salt, no tequila, all mouth and no trousers, all mouth and trousers, all shot, no powder, all sing, no dance, all sizzle and no steak, all talk, all wax and no wick, all garnish and no meat

Download JSON data for all talk and no action meaning in English (5.1kB)

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "all talk and no action (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Chinese terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "20 January 2017, Donald Trump, Inauguration Speech\nWe will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action - constantly complaining but never doing anything about it."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC",
          "text": "Jaal: Let's do it Peebee.\nPeebee: Uh... do what?\nJaal: Find out if asari and angara can mate. You and I—we can be pilgrims.\nPeebee: Uh, Ryder?\nRyder: You got yourself into this.\nPeebee: Jaal... uh, yeah, that's not exactly in my immediate plans...\nJaal: You mean you'd let someone else beat you to it?\nPeebee: I...\nJaal: I didn't know you were... what is that saying Ryder?\nRyder: All talk.\nJaal: All talk.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little; overpromising, but underdelivering."
      ],
      "id": "en-all_talk_and_no_action-en-noun-T9rafwHA",
      "links": [
        [
          "Speaking",
          "speak"
        ],
        [
          "promising",
          "promising"
        ],
        [
          "boast",
          "boast"
        ],
        [
          "much",
          "much"
        ],
        [
          "little",
          "little"
        ],
        [
          "overpromising",
          "overpromise"
        ],
        [
          "underdeliver",
          "underdeliver"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "talk out of one's ass"
        },
        {
          "word": "talk the talk"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "all bark and no bite"
        },
        {
          "word": "all talk and no cider"
        },
        {
          "word": "all talk, no show"
        },
        {
          "word": "all booster, no payload"
        },
        {
          "word": "all crown, no filling"
        },
        {
          "word": "all foam, no beer"
        },
        {
          "word": "all hammer, no nail"
        },
        {
          "word": "all hat and no cattle"
        },
        {
          "word": "all icing, no cake"
        },
        {
          "word": "all lime and salt, no tequila"
        },
        {
          "word": "all mouth and no trousers"
        },
        {
          "word": "all mouth and trousers"
        },
        {
          "word": "all shot, no powder"
        },
        {
          "word": "all sing, no dance"
        },
        {
          "word": "all sizzle and no steak"
        },
        {
          "word": "all talk"
        },
        {
          "word": "all wax and no wick"
        },
        {
          "word": "all garnish and no meat"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "af",
          "lang": "Afrikaans",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "meer bek as binnegoed"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "molt soroll i poques nous"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "光說不做"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "guāngshuōbùzuò",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "光说不做"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "只說不做"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "zhǐshuōbùzuò",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "只说不做"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "光說不幹"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "guāngshuōbùgān",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "光说不干"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "shuǎ zuǐpízi",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "耍嘴皮子"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "雷声大，雨点小"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "雷聲大，雨點小"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "léishēngdà, yǔdiǎnxiǎo",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "雷声大，雨点小"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "veel geschreeuw en weinig wol"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "paljon puhetta ilman tekoja"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "tutto fumo e niente arrosto"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "tanto fumo e poco arrosto"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "he kōrero i pahawa"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "hōhonu waha - pāpaku uaua"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "pozornie groźny"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "mucho hablar y poco hacer"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "mucho ruido y pocas nueces"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "mucho lerele y poco larala"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "idiom",
          "word": "Mycket snack och lite verkstad."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "all talk and no action"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "all talk and no action (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "talk out of one's ass"
    },
    {
      "word": "talk the talk"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Chinese terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "20 January 2017, Donald Trump, Inauguration Speech\nWe will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action - constantly complaining but never doing anything about it."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC",
          "text": "Jaal: Let's do it Peebee.\nPeebee: Uh... do what?\nJaal: Find out if asari and angara can mate. You and I—we can be pilgrims.\nPeebee: Uh, Ryder?\nRyder: You got yourself into this.\nPeebee: Jaal... uh, yeah, that's not exactly in my immediate plans...\nJaal: You mean you'd let someone else beat you to it?\nPeebee: I...\nJaal: I didn't know you were... what is that saying Ryder?\nRyder: All talk.\nJaal: All talk.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little; overpromising, but underdelivering."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Speaking",
          "speak"
        ],
        [
          "promising",
          "promising"
        ],
        [
          "boast",
          "boast"
        ],
        [
          "much",
          "much"
        ],
        [
          "little",
          "little"
        ],
        [
          "overpromising",
          "overpromise"
        ],
        [
          "underdeliver",
          "underdeliver"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "all bark and no bite"
    },
    {
      "word": "all talk and no cider"
    },
    {
      "word": "all talk, no show"
    },
    {
      "word": "all booster, no payload"
    },
    {
      "word": "all crown, no filling"
    },
    {
      "word": "all foam, no beer"
    },
    {
      "word": "all hammer, no nail"
    },
    {
      "word": "all hat and no cattle"
    },
    {
      "word": "all icing, no cake"
    },
    {
      "word": "all lime and salt, no tequila"
    },
    {
      "word": "all mouth and no trousers"
    },
    {
      "word": "all mouth and trousers"
    },
    {
      "word": "all shot, no powder"
    },
    {
      "word": "all sing, no dance"
    },
    {
      "word": "all sizzle and no steak"
    },
    {
      "word": "all talk"
    },
    {
      "word": "all wax and no wick"
    },
    {
      "word": "all garnish and no meat"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "af",
      "lang": "Afrikaans",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "meer bek as binnegoed"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "molt soroll i poques nous"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "光說不做"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "guāngshuōbùzuò",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "光说不做"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "只說不做"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "zhǐshuōbùzuò",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "只说不做"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "光說不幹"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "guāngshuōbùgān",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "光说不干"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "shuǎ zuǐpízi",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "耍嘴皮子"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "雷声大，雨点小"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "雷聲大，雨點小"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "léishēngdà, yǔdiǎnxiǎo",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "雷声大，雨点小"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "veel geschreeuw en weinig wol"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "paljon puhetta ilman tekoja"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "tutto fumo e niente arrosto"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "tanto fumo e poco arrosto"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "he kōrero i pahawa"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "hōhonu waha - pāpaku uaua"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "pozornie groźny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "mucho hablar y poco hacer"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "mucho ruido y pocas nueces"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "mucho lerele y poco larala"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "idiom",
      "word": "Mycket snack och lite verkstad."
    }
  ],
  "word": "all talk and no action"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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